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Three 1000 W 80 PLUS Gold-Certified Power Supplies Tested

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We received a trio of 1000 W power supplies priced between $200 and $300, so we ran them through our usual suite of tests to see if they really live up to their 80 PLUS Gold certifications. Surprisingly, all three hiccuped during efficiency testing.

Conclusion And Comparison Table

We had high expectations of these three tested PSUs. The lofty power ratings and 80 PLUS Gold certifications promised some genuine highlights and the devices did not disappoint when it came to high power output, which is what these devices were designed for in the first place. Unfortunately we did not receive a lot of information on the individual peak power for each 12 V rail from the PSU vendors, hence we have to stick to the plain summary that you’ll get a combined 1000 W across four to six individual 12 V rails.

However, our tests mostly highlighted some weaknesses that should not exist at the highest end. None of the three PSUs actually managed to fully live up to the 80 PLUS Gold standards. The OCZ PSU slipped up a bit in the ripple/noise measurement, Sparkle's build quality undermined its solution a bit, and the Rosewill PSU suffered from impacted energy efficiency at low loads. The bottom line is a bit disappointing, given the high price points in excess of $200, with the OCZ Z1000M scoring best.

Comparison Table

ManufacturerOCZRosewillSparkle
Model Name and NumberZ1000MLightning-1000GW-EPS1250DA
Recommended End User Price$205 USD$220 USD$300 USD
Power Certification80 PLUS Gold80 PLUS Gold80 PLUS Gold
Weight2.5 Kg6.6 lbs.5 lbs.
Operating Temperature0 - 50°C??? °C0 - 50°C
Warranty5 years3 years5 years
Power Specifications
SpecificationATX12V v2.2ATX12V v2.3ATX12V/EPS12V
Specified Output Power1000 W1000 W1250 W
Max. Peak Output1100 W1000 WNot Specified
AC Input100 - 240 V100 - 240 V100 - 240 V
AC Voltage SelectionAuto voltageAuto voltageAuto voltage
DC Output +3.3V25 A25 A30 A
DC Output +5V25 A25 A30 A
DC Output +12V (#1)83 A83 A20 A
DC Output +12V (#2)n/an/a20 A
DC Output +12V (#3)n/an/a20 A
DC Output +12V (#4)n/an/a20 A
DC Output +12V (#5)n/an/a20 A
DC Output +12V (#6)n/an/a20 A
DC Output -12V0.8 A0.5 A0.6 A
DC Power +12V Combined1000 W996 W1250 W
PFCactiveactiveactive
Specified Hold-Up Time18 ms> 16 ms≥ 17 ms
MTBF100 000 hours100 000 hours≥ 60 000 Hours
Cooling Specifications
Main Fan135 mm140 mm140 mm
Main Fan Speed1800 rpm??? rpm2200 rpm
Secondary Fann/an/an/a
Secondary Fan Speedn/an/an/a
Connectors & Environmental
20+4 pin Motherboardx1 (55 cm)x1 (55 cm)x1 (55 cm)
CPU 8-pin/4+4-pin1/x1 (55 cm)1/x1 (55 cm)x1 (55 cm)
PCI Express 6-pin/6+2-pin (Graphics)0/x6 (55 cm)0/x6 (55 - 65 cm)x4 (55 cm)
Molex 4-pin (Peripherals)x6 (55 - 90 cm)x10 (55 - 95 cm)x9 (55 - 85 cm)
SATA Powerx12 (55 - 85 cm)x10 (55 - 95 cm)x12 (55 - 85 cm)
4-pin Floppyx2 (100 cm)x2 (105 cm)x3 (105 cm)
Product Specifics
AccessoriesScrewsScrews, Lacing CordsScrews, Velcro Strips
Cable ManagementYesYesYes
Other DetailsIlluminated Fan in Red or Blue; Screw-in Cable ConnectorsC20 Power Connector
52 Comments Comment from the forums
  • killbits 11 February 2011 12:46
    hmm, maybe next time include a super-high-end psu that doesn't suck.

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139014

    takes any of the psu's in this review to school.
    Reply
  • mr_cb7 11 February 2011 13:37
    hmm, maybe next time include a super-high-end psu that doesn't suck.

    Seriously where is PC Power & Cooling,Corsair, or Antec!
    OCZ and Rosewill thats it? OCZ is alright, but Rosewill is crap.

    try theses next time:
    http://www.pcpower.com/power-supply/turbo-cool-1200.html (not GOLD I know but still)

    http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139014

    http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=56794&vpn=HCP-1200&manufacture=Antec
    Reply
  • one-shot 11 February 2011 14:09
    I have a 750W Corsair PSU. When gaming with my i7 920 @ stock and SLI GTX 260s, I haven't come close to 400watts, according to my UPS. If you take the number the UPS gives and factor in the efficiency of the PSU, the power draw is much less. I've seen up to 360 watts with TF2 and Test Drive Unlimited 2 so far. Although running burn tests on GPUs and CPU will draw much more.

    Running Bionc on CPU and F@H on both GPUs, I draw 441 watts with ALL components under HEAVY load. That's 100% on all CPU threads and GPUs. 1000W is enough for a lot of components.

    I also idle at 189 Watts with SLI enabled.
    Reply
  • iam2thecrowe 11 February 2011 14:14
    can you do a low-end psu review so we can see some stuff blow up!
    Reply
  • Chewie 11 February 2011 15:21
    Call me a noob if you like, but I didn't realise using 230V was more efficient 115V. I guess that's a bonus for those of us down under.
    I just wish I could afford the kind of components that would require this kind of PSU.
    Reply
  • alidan 11 February 2011 17:31
    ChewieCall me a noob if you like, but I didn't realise using 230V was more efficient 115V. I guess that's a bonus for those of us down under.I just wish I could afford the kind of components that would require this kind of PSU.
    can someone explain this to me, because i dont get it.
    Reply
  • tuhinz 11 February 2011 18:46
    9509055 said:
    can someone explain this to me, because i dont get it.

    Its got to do with varying efficiency at different voltage levels.

    Consider the following:
    Power(P) = Voltage(V) X Current (I) X Power factor (Cos phi)

    Now for the same amount of power transfer, at lower voltages, the current required is more (See the equation below):
    P = V1 X I1 X Cos phi1 = V2 X I2 X Cos phi2
    (Substitute for V1 = 230, V2 = 115, neglect the slight difference in Cos phi1 & Cos phi2)

    The losses are given by :
    H =I^2 X R X t (where R is the resistance of the current carrying conductor, t is time)

    Thus losses increase in proportion to the current squared.

    So you have higher losses (hence lower efficiency) at lower voltages.
    Reply
  • alidan 11 February 2011 18:48
    than why can you switch between? thats what im not understanding.
    Reply
  • jimishtar 11 February 2011 18:49
    "Max. temperature difference air intake to outlet - less is better "
    where's the logic in this?
    bigger temp difference means the cooling system is more efficient and it takes the heat away from the components. why is air temp so important to you? If you cannot measure temp from inside the psu case (the components) why bother with air temp?
    Reply
  • tuhinz 11 February 2011 19:01
    9509057 said:
    than why can you switch between? thats what im not understanding.

    You can't switch between the two. US & Japan & some S. American countries (IIRC) use 115V while the rest of the world uses 230V. PSUs meant for both markets often have a switch and you need to set it to the correct voltage for your country and plug it in. Many modern PSUs will often have a large input voltage range spanning both the voltage levels so you won't find the switch in them (My Corsair TX650 for instance).
    Reply